Prison Labor

The United States has once again surpassed its own world record for incarcerating the highest percentage of its population. According to a report released by the Bureau of Prison Statistics, one out of every 32 adults was in prison, in jail, on probation, or on parole at the end of 2005. But the crisis of mass incarceration is not felt evenly in the United States: Race defines every aspect of the criminal justice system, from police targeting, to crimes charged, and rates of conviction. African-American men between the ages of 20 and 39 account for nearly one third of all sentenced prisoners.

It may surprise some people that as the number of people without jobs increases, the number of working people actually increases—they become prison laborers. Everyone inside has a job. There are currently over 70 factories in California’s 33 prisons alone. Prisoners do everything from textile work and construction, to manufacturing and service work. Prisoners make shoes, clothing, and detergent; they do dental lab work, recycling, metal production, and wood production; they operate dairies, farms, and slaughterhouses.

Prison Labor Exploitation in the 21st Century

Just a few decades later, we are witnessing the return of all of these systems of prison labor exploitation. Private corporations are able to lease factories in prisons, as well as lease prisoners out to their factories. Private corporations are running prisons-for-profit. Government-run prison factories operate as multibillion dollar industries in every state, and throughout the federal prison system. In the most punitive and racist prison systems, we are even witnessing the return of the chain gang. Prisoner resistance and community organizing has been able to defeat some of these initiatives, but in Arizona, Maricopa County continues to operate the first women’s chain gang in the history of the United States.9

Shifts in the United States economy and growing crises of underemployment and poverty in communities of color have created the conditions for the current wave of mass incarceration and the boom in prison labor exploitation.

In the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco, a historically Black community with an estimated 50 percent unemployment rate, the community is facing criminalization, incarceration and mass displacement as a result of gentrification. San Francisco, along with eight other counties in California, is implementing gang injunctions—curfews, anti-loitering, and anti-association laws that function very similar to Black Codes for Black, Latino, and Asian youth—using the pretext of gang prevention to track young men into the prison system to become prison labor, while preparing the community for redevelopment and gentrification. People Organized to Win Employment Rights (POWER) is building power among Bayview residents and fighting for economic development that addresses the interests of the Black community, which will create alternatives to prison labor exploitation.10

Rooted in Slavery: Prison Labor Exploitation | Urban Habitat
 
The majority of prisoners are Black and Latino…

Which is a symptom of a larger problem, not an issue unto itself.

Otherwise, prison labor – paid or unpaid – is considered Constitutional:

In light of its plain text, the Thirteenth Amendment has generally been interpreted to bar legal challenges to unpaid or minimally paid prison labor.

Prison Labor and the Thirteenth Amendment « Prison Law Blog

Sentenced to over 12 years for a first time non-violent drug charge? Does that make any sense? Not to me.

Again, a symptom of a larger problem…
 
I'd rather be spending money to train and teach prisoners some type of skill, and give them something productive to do, than for my tax dollars to go toward paying public union bennies when the unions have planned poorly and squandered their resources.
We gave up on rehabilitation years ago. Prisoners are being released early for economic reasons. The average prisoner will be on the streets in 5 to 7 years. Prisons are just training facilities for criminals at a cost to the taxpayer of $23K/yr. Half those that are released are back in prison within 3 years. The penal system makes no sense.
 
The United States has once again surpassed its own world record for incarcerating the highest percentage of its population. According to a report released by the Bureau of Prison Statistics, one out of every 32 adults was in prison, in jail, on probation, or on parole at the end of 2005. But the crisis of mass incarceration is not felt evenly in the United States: Race defines every aspect of the criminal justice system, from police targeting, to crimes charged, and rates of conviction. African-American men between the ages of 20 and 39 account for nearly one third of all sentenced prisoners.

It may surprise some people that as the number of people without jobs increases, the number of working people actually increases—they become prison laborers. Everyone inside has a job. There are currently over 70 factories in California’s 33 prisons alone. Prisoners do everything from textile work and construction, to manufacturing and service work. Prisoners make shoes, clothing, and detergent; they do dental lab work, recycling, metal production, and wood production; they operate dairies, farms, and slaughterhouses.

Prison Labor Exploitation in the 21st Century

Just a few decades later, we are witnessing the return of all of these systems of prison labor exploitation. Private corporations are able to lease factories in prisons, as well as lease prisoners out to their factories. Private corporations are running prisons-for-profit. Government-run prison factories operate as multibillion dollar industries in every state, and throughout the federal prison system. In the most punitive and racist prison systems, we are even witnessing the return of the chain gang. Prisoner resistance and community organizing has been able to defeat some of these initiatives, but in Arizona, Maricopa County continues to operate the first women’s chain gang in the history of the United States.9

Shifts in the United States economy and growing crises of underemployment and poverty in communities of color have created the conditions for the current wave of mass incarceration and the boom in prison labor exploitation.

In the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco, a historically Black community with an estimated 50 percent unemployment rate, the community is facing criminalization, incarceration and mass displacement as a result of gentrification. San Francisco, along with eight other counties in California, is implementing gang injunctions—curfews, anti-loitering, and anti-association laws that function very similar to Black Codes for Black, Latino, and Asian youth—using the pretext of gang prevention to track young men into the prison system to become prison labor, while preparing the community for redevelopment and gentrification. People Organized to Win Employment Rights (POWER) is building power among Bayview residents and fighting for economic development that addresses the interests of the Black community, which will create alternatives to prison labor exploitation.10

Rooted in Slavery: Prison Labor Exploitation | Urban Habitat

Maybe just maybe they are the ones comitting the most crime? Are there factors that aggravate the possibilities that they wil commit those crimes from some perception of necessity? Sure! Does that mean that they are forced to oppress or victimize others because they have an excuse? I think not. I think they also pick on weaker than themselves and generally hurt the innocent for self centered motives. So in that vein I do not pity them the time served. May they think better on return to society. In the meantime some honest labor may do them some good.
 
I could be wrong, but if a prisoner does not want to work, they don't have to.

My understanding is most want to.

And, it's not like they are making the money to buy shit at a mall - they buy it at the prison store.
 
He already is a slave. He's a slave to his own impulses. Otherwise, he would have never ended up in prison.

Sentenced to over 12 years for a first time non-violent drug charge? Does that make any sense? Not to me.

"1st time non violent drug charge" can mean anything from having a bag of dope in your pocket, to transporting 300 lbs of weed across state lines. Judging by the 12 year sentance, I say the second is most likely.
 
The Constitution’s 13th amendment, ratified in 1865, abolished slavery in the United States, but provided an exception—in cases where persons have been “duly convicted” in the United States and territory it controls, slavery or involuntary servitude can be reimposed as a punishment, they add.

The majority of prisoners are Black and Latino, though they are minorities in terms of their numbers in the general population.

Corporate profit from prisons are no different than how slave owners received benefit from their labor, and that impact remained even after slavery.

But it's not slavery.

Slaves had no choice. Their lot was forced upon them.

These criminals had a choice not to be in prison. They chose their own path.
 
The United States has less than 5% of the world’s population, but we incarcerate 25% of all the prisoners in the world. We leave China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and all the other nations we like to look down our noses at far in the dust. We not only lockup more of our citizens than all totalitarian nations, we even lockup more people than China which has more than 4 times the number of Americans, and India which has almost 4 times the number of Americans, and Iran COMBINED. The US not only leads in the numbers of prisoners but far outpace China when measured per capita. We rank 1st among all nations with 715 prisoners per 100,000 people. China, ranks 71st with 119 prisoners per 100,000 people.

US leaders love to point out China as a violator of human rights and their penchant for slave and prison labor. While it’s principled to point out abuses by the Chinese, Americans should also recognize that slavery is not only legal in the US, it’s also practiced. The 13th Amendment authorizes it, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” The key word here is “except” and being convicted of a crime in the United States is that exception.

In today’s America, drug laws have become the new Jim Crow laws, the prison/industrial complex has become the new plantation, and the warden has become the new overseer. America’s newest slaves aren’t picking cotton.
Slavery, the Prison/Industrial Complex, and American Hypocrisy | Green Commons
Being a retired federal correctional officer, too bad. If inmates do not want to be inmates they can stop committing crimes. Before you start, I have rarely met an inmate that didn't deserve to be in prison.

If this is true, then you are only looking at one side of this equation.

Regardless of how you feel about prisoners, these jobs could be done for fair pay and benefits by the non-criminal elements of our society.
 
He already is a slave. He's a slave to his own impulses. Otherwise, he would have never ended up in prison.

Sentenced to over 12 years for a first time non-violent drug charge? Does that make any sense? Not to me.

That's why I don't believe it for a minute.

You have faith in our justice system being fair, I don't.

Patricia Spottedcrow was sentenced to 12 years behind bars for selling two baggies of marijuana worth about $30. It was her first offense. She had never been arrested before.
http://www.kfor.com/news/local/kfor-woman-gets-12-years-for-30-of-pot-20110518,0,2171777.story
 
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